Response to OMB Comments

Summary of responses to OMB comments
Comment	Response
State Administrator Interview Protocol Protocol Question: What are the barriers to instituting comprehensive articulation policy in your state? OMB Comment: Could this add a question about what other barriers they believe exist to students attempting to transfer from CDA to AA or AA to BA? I know the focus here is articulation agreements, but I think it’d be interesting to hear from participants if there are other problems that, even if articulation agreements were perfect, would still prevent AA students from successfully pursuing a BA.	We have added a probe to question 16 that asks, “What other barriers hinder students in their efforts to earn transfer credit?”
ECE Industry Representative Interview Protocol Protocol Section: Introduction OMB Comment: I’m not clear on who this respondent is likely to be, but if it’s someone at a statewide organization that advocates on behalf of or provides support for or otherwise studies ECE in the state, I think they should be a source of information for a lot more than these questions are touching on. I’d also ask them to provide thoughts on: What tools and information are available to students to help them determine their career paths? What are the barriers students face in transferring, and in transferring credits? What services and supports are available to help students with the credit transfer process? What state policies are in place to help ECE students transfer from certificate or associate’s degree programs to bachelor’s degree programs? What have you heard from students about their ability to receive transfer credit for prior coursework? Protocol Question: How does state policy address the costs of ECE-related degree attainment? OMB Comment: I’m unclear on what this is asking for. Is asking about state aid for students or tuition costs of the programs?	In most states, this respondent will be a staff member at the state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a membership organization for early childhood educators. We have replaced “How is your state’s articulation policy designed to work?” with “What state policies are in place to help students transfer from certificate or associate’s degree programs to bachelor’s degree programs?” We also have added the following questions: Question 9. What other advising services and supports are available to help students with the transfer process? Question 10. What tools and information are available to students to help them determine their career paths? Question 11. What have you heard from students about their ability to receive transfer credit for prior coursework? Question 11 probe: What barriers do students encounter when transferring credits? We have removed the question about the costs of ECE-related degree attainment, because the answer is implicit in the structure of state policy. This study does not have a focus on financial aid or tuition policy. Through the interviews and focus groups with faculty, staff, and administrators in institutions of higher education, we will gather information about the types of guidance and information students receive regarding the costs of degree attainment.
Student Focus Group Protocol Protocol Question: By a show of hands, how many of you are still enrolled at your first college? How many of you have already transferred to another school? OMB Comment: Time off in the between transfer period I think is fairly common, and may have a big impact on the ability to transfer credits if the student loses touch with the previous school, or if courses or requirements change over time. Protocol Section: Credit Portability OMB Comment: Per the added question above about time off between transferring, I think it’s important to discern in this section how time off between schools may have affected these issues. I don’t know if that should be through an additional question or a “Probe for” or “Listen for.”	Question 4 on the protocol now reads, “How many of you took time off of school before transferring, and if so, how much?” Question 11 now includes a “listen for” that reads, “Time off before transfer”